Last Stand
by Roxas2014
Summary: Six months after the Twilight Incident, another enemy threatens Hyrule; one that Link has never faced before. Can Link stop this new threat, or will Hyrule fall for the last time? Extended prologue for main story. First fanfic so be gentle with criticim.
1. Chapter 1

Last Stand

**Author's note: Hello everyone! I know this seems like an odd crossover to do, but I figured if Commander Shepard can use melee weapons like he does in Mass Effect 3: Fall of Earth trailer, why not we have a master swordsman like Link take part in the series as well! This story, however, is only going to be the prologue to the main storyline. I figured that you guys would want to know what happens to Hyrule (and therefore to Link) first. This is my first fanfic, so be gentle with the criticism. **

**Update****: As I was working on chapter 3 earlier today, an idea came to me. As a result, I made some minor changes to the content in both chapters.**

**I do not own Mass Effect or Legend of Zelda. **

Chapter 1: The Ominous Letter

"HEEEYYYYYY LINK!"

A blonde youth jumped up out of his bed, startled by the shout. After noticing no apparent threat, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and slowly turned to look out a window. Looking down, he saw a tall, robust man with short brown hair stare up at him. The man was Fado, the main rancher of Ordon Village, and the proprietor of the village's ranch. He was also the youth's boss, and by the looks of it needed help.

"The goats are being uncooperative again! You think you could come down to the ranch and help me out?" Fado asked.

Link nodded, and then turned to get ready for the day.

In his mind, Link breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't told anyone, but lately Link had been having horrid dreams. Dreams of the kingdom consumed by fire in an instant, and everyone he knew and loved dying all around him. And in the sky above the apocalyptic landscape, a huge terrifying creature unlike anything Link has seen before descended towards him, intent on crushing him with one of its metallic appendages. All Link can ever do in the dream is watch as Hyrule falls and his own death slowly approaches him.

Link quickly shook the feelings of terror off of him, changing his focus to the day's activities. After washing up and grabbing a quick bite of bread and cheese, Link stepped out of his house and climbed down the ladder. Turning to his left, he noticed that the space where he tied up his horse was empty. He didn't worry, though; he knew _exactly_ who had his horse and where they were.

Smiling at the knowledge, Link turned toward the village when suddenly….

"Mr. Link! WAAAIIIIIIITTTTTT!"

Link turned to see a tall, lean man in white running shorts and a white shirt running towards him, a tall red flag on his back and a small mailbag on his belt. Link acknowledged the Postman as he came to a near stop.

"Good morning, Mr. Link! I have a letter for you!"

After passing the letter to Link, the Postman quickly ran off, shouting "Onward to mail!" as he did so. Link stared at the envelope, noticing the Royal Family crest stamped on the back of it. There was no doubt this letter came from Princess Zelda, who he hadn't seen since the Twilight Incident. Looking back, it was hard to believe that six months had passed since he had saved Hyrule from not one, but two powerful tyrants, and freed an entirely different realm from slavery. It seemed like only yesterday that he was out looking for ancient artifacts that could aid him in his quest, surviving dungeons full of bloodthirsty creatures with the help of…

_Midna_.

Sadness swelled in Link for a moment, remembering his impish friend. True, she hadn't been the easiest to get along with at first, with her impatience and mischievous personality, but in the end she had been a valuable person to have as a companion. Link understood why she had destroyed the gateway between his realm and hers; it still didn't stop the pain of losing her.

Link quickly shook off the minor depression, focusing back on the letter in his hands. Without further hesitation, he opened the letter….and was shocked at what he read:

Link,

I know it hasn't been long since the Twilight Incident, but Hyrule needs your help once again. Recently I have been plagued by visions of a terrible storm spreading across the land, destroying everything beneath it. It can only mean one thing: dark forces are approaching, ones that intend to destroy rather than control. I am already taking steps, but Hyrule is still vulnerable from the Twilight invasion. We'll need your help to insure the survival of the kingdom. Meet me at the castle gates as soon as you are ready. May the Goddesses watch over you on your journey.

Sincerely,

Zelda

Link was stunned for a few moments. The princess had been receiving ominous dreams as well! All centered on an unstoppable force tearing the land apart! It was too much a coincidence to simply ignore. He shuddered at the images of his loved ones' deaths, even more so now that he knew it could be a possib…NO! Now was not the time for such thinking! Something was coming, and he needed to prepare!

He ran back to his house, and once inside headed straight for the basement, where he kept his most precious items. After lighting the torches, he opened up the largest chest in the room, which contained his bow and quiver, a bomb bag, an empty scabbard, and a unique storage container (which held practically everything else despite its small size). At the very bottom was a green tunic with chainmail underneath, and two brown leather gauntlets. He hesitated for a moment, remembering everything that happened while wearing the tunic, and then took it out of the chest.

Once everything was on, he grabbed himself some bread and cheese for the trip, and headed out the door. He had almost everything; all that's left was the Master Sword and…his horse. Link sighed, knowing he was going to have to tell _her_ the bad news. He knew she wouldn't like it at all, but he had to go. He just hoped that she would understand

Sighing once more, Link headed for the fountain of Ordon.

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Out amongst the bright stars, several dark figures approached a green and blue planet. They were gigantic in size, and had the appearance of a metallic squid; each differed slightly in the position and length of their jointed tentacles. They slowly spread out around the planet, aligning themselves according to the locations of intelligent life they had analyzed from acquired creatures sought for one thing on the planet.

The extermination of organic civilization.

**_They were foolish to think they could stray from the path to perfection_**,one of the figures thought. **_One cannot ascend their species through little technological progression and dependence on forbidden arts such as this "magic" as the organics call it. It is only through us that perfection can be achieved._**

Once the creatures were in place, they stood still, awaiting a silent command.

**_There is only one purpose for those who stray from the path_. **One by one, the creatures descended slowly towards the planet. **_To be purged._**

**_So says Inquisition._**

**AN: That's the end of chapter 1. Please review if you want me to continue.**

**P.S: if you guys know a good name for a Reaper, please put it in your review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Chapter 2 is up! It took me a little while because I had to do a little research on Twilight Princess. I hope you enjoy it!**

**I do not own Mass Effect or Legend of Zelda.**

Chapter 2: Gone

Rushing out from an opening in the forest, a green clad warrior on a red horse with a white mane rode out into the field, carrying a blue hilted sword and an iron shield on his back. As Link had expected, getting the Master Sword had been a lot easier than getting his horse. _She_ had not been very happy about his new adventure, and rightly so considering how his last one went.

"_You almost died!" a blond haired young woman yelled at him. "And now you want to go out and do it again? What about everyone? What about me? What am I suppose to do while you're out there facing Goddesses knows what all by yourself! Why can't somebody else-"_

_Link put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him. Her eyes were full of fear and sadness, whilst his were full of kindness and reassurance. They stared at each for a couple minutes before Ilia sighed in defeat._

"_You're not going to give up on this, are you?" She asked. Link's silence answered her. She sighed again and looked at Link's horse, Epona._

"_You always couldn't resist protecting others," she paused for a moment before saying "If you really have to go then I won't stop you. But, Link…just promise me something."_

_She turns to him, "Please come home safely."_

Ilia didn't have to worry; Link would make sure he kept the promise. He would also make sure no one in the village, especially her, gets hurt by the new threat. As he rode on, he thought of what possible steps the princess was taking. Hopefully one of them provided protection for the regions beyond the fields.

His trail of thinking stopped when he heard an unusual sound. It seemed like a small roar, but it grew every second as he listened to it. He quickly looked around, wondering if a flying beast was swooping down on him. He saw nothing nearby, but when he looked further up, Link noticed a large fireball falling through the sky. As he watched, the fireball appeared to slow down, and the fire dissipating. In its place was a….

…a giant metal squid with tentacles attached halfway across its body! The creature in Link's visions was here! And it was descending towards Castle Town!

Nononononono….Link spurred Epona into a fast dash, intent on beating the beast to the town. All the while he kept seeing flashes of his visions; forests on fire, mountains leveled, and everyone he knew…No! He was not going to let that happen! Faster and faster he rode, while the monster above aimed a tentacle in the direction of the town.

Link watched as the beam struck the town with a ragging pound. The instant it touched the ground, the beam unleashed a powerful blast that destroyed everything in its path. The sound it made frightened Epona, causing her to jump up and throw her rider off. After a few moments on the ground, Link quickly got up and saw smoke rising from the town. He climbed a nearby hill to see what had happened. Once he got to the top…Goddesses….

In the place of the town was nothing but fire and smoke. There was no sign of the city's outer walls, and no partially rebuilt castle nearby. There were no piles of rubble that Link could see; it was as if the town had never existed.

Link sunk to his knees, full of disbelief and despair. In just one instant, the fight for Hyrule had been lost.

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He refused to believe what had just happened. He just couldn't believe that everyone in the town was gone. Princess Zelda, Telma the bartender, Agitha the bug princess, even Jovani and his cat Gengle….all gone. Link clenched his fists as the truth slowly came to him. He had failed. Failed to protect Hyrule. Failed to protect the Princess. He had failed everyone. If he had listened to his visions earlier, the town would still be here, and everyone in would still be alive.

Tears fell down his face, the memories of everyone in that town flashing through his mind. Telma's warm welcome every time he visited, Jovani spending time with his new girlfriend, Agitha playing with some of the golden bugs inside her "castle". He prayed to Farore that the rest of the Adventurer's Guild were still exploring the Sacred Grove instead of…

Link's eyes widened, a revelation striking him. Castle Town may be destroyed, and Hyrule's ruling family may have perished, but the kingdom's people were still alive. The shaman Renado and the Gorons were still in Kakariko Village, the Zora Prince Ralis and his people were still alive in the Zora's Domain, and everyone in Ordon Village…

Link looked back up as the gigantic monster descended towards the burnt patch that was once Hyrule's cultural and administrative center. His fists clenched once again, only this time in defiance. The beast was not going to take one more life, not while he lived and breathed. Link stood up, eyes never leaving the metal squid's form. He then slowly turned around and walked back to Epona, who was still a little shaken from the small quake. After calming her down, Link pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote a hasty message, telling everyone to leave the kingdom. Once finished, he tucked the note somewhere where it could be seen, and sent Epona back to Ordon Village.

When he was sure the horse was heading to the village, Link turned back to face the path leading further inward of the fields. He then looked in his pack, pulling out a small bundle of cloth. Inside was a unique stone with strange orange markings around it. It was one of the few pieces of Twili magic that Link held on to; one that held many memories of his time with Midna. Pausing for only a second, Link gently touched the stone, and felt the magic coursing through him.

In a few seconds, where a green clad hero once stood was a green and white wolf with blue eyes. On its back was the Link's bag, in which the wolf carefully returned the stone to use for later. After checking to insure the bag was secure, the wolf turned its head towards the direction of the village.

….I'm sorry Ilia….

Wolf-Link then raced down the path, towards the beast that had now landed on the burnt earth.

**A/N: Next chapter, it's Link vs. a Reaper! Please, please, please review! I need to have more of an idea of how I'm doing! **

**Update: Thank you, Azlinkix, for pointing out the error in the chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Sorry it took so long! I ended up adding and changing a lot of stuff to this chapter. Plus, I had serious writer's block for a couple of days. Anyway, here's chapter 3!**

**Oh, before I forget, I want to thank ****Azlinkix**** for pointing out some weak spots in Chapter 2. And thank you, ghillie in the mist, for picking out a cool name for the Reaper. The name of the Reaper in this story is...Inquisition!**

**I do not own Legend of Zelda or Mass Effect.**

Chapter 3: Suicide Run

As the sun sets over a lake, strange figures emerge from an enormous tree stump. They looked human, but their skin was pale and grey, and blue and gold cords stuck out from parts of their body: their chest, their shoulders, even their mouths. In place of their eyes were blue unblinking lights that seem to stare into oblivion. The horrid looking monsters stumbled towards a long bridge, no grace or order in their movements. These things were mindless, nothing more than husks of their former selves. They had only one purpose: to kill whatever was in their path.

As the husks walked across the bridge, one of them noticed a green figure appearing from the other end of the bridge. This figure stopped at the sight of them, but the husk that saw him immediately screamed and ran towards him; the others soon followed. In a matter of seconds, dozens of husks were running across the bridge towards the green warrior.

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Link saw the grey and blue creatures coming towards him, and quickly drew the Master sword. He then charged back at the monsters, not putting much thought into their appearance or origin.

All that mattered was that they were attacking and in the way of his goal. Plus, they were attacking with their bare hands, acting more like vicious animals than people. Since you can't reason with an animal there's only one thing to do.

Put them down.

Link swung his sword, diagonally slashing the closest two, which disintegrated shortly after. He then swung to the left, slicing open another's chest before it disappeared. One grabbed his sword arm, which he freed and then bashed the creature with the hilt of his weapon. Link repeated his actions as he slowly crossed the bridge, slashing, bashing, and stabbing the aggressive husks. He managed to bash a few over the edge, ignoring the husks' screams as they fell towards the lake below.

He was more than two thirds across the bridge when he noticed a few husks in front of him flash blue before disintegrating. He also felt a slight thumping that seemed to get closer to him. Instinctively, Link dodged to the left, noticing a strange blue hemisphere pass by him on the ground. After slicing a couple more husks, he looked farther up the bridge and noticed two severely deformed versions of the creatures he had slain. They were taller, with a bulky upper torso and one relatively thin arm. They had a weird, pulsating blue bulge on their backs, making their heads hunch down toward their chest. In the place of the other arm was some kind of shoulder weapon, made out the same materials as the husks were. As Link watched, one of them aimed their weapon at him, and another blue hemisphere shot across the ground after the thing pulsed blue.

After dodging the other attack, Link pulled out this bow and arrow, and notched an explosive arrow. He fired his arrow at the thing's bulge, being careful to dodge the attacks that were flung at him. The arrow exploded, causing the creature to stumble, but not fall. He fired two more arrows, getting the same result each time. Link narrowed his eyes, trying to find a weak spot while on the move. Acting on a hunch, he fired the next arrow towards one of the beasts' glowing eyes, just as it was about to fire its weapon. The result was half the upper torso exploding, its force pushing the other creature over the edge. Link looked over the side, watching it hit the water, thrash about, and then float silently.

Link walked to the other end of the bridge, keeping an eye out for any more surprises. Seeing none, he checked on his injuries. His arms had a few scratches and cuts from the husks clawing him, and parts of his tunic and chainmail were torn. Other than that, he was fine. Link looked further up the trial, catching glimpses of the metal squid between the rock walls and the stump's roots. He also heard the moans of the husks as they came closer to his location.

Despite being only slightly fatigued, the green clad warrior knew he would not last long if he came across a horde of those things in the open. Then there was the gigantic creature responsible for all of this; who knew what tricks the beast had in his tentacles. Link hid behind the gateway, rummaging through his bag as a plan formed in his head. If he was going to have any chance of success, he was going to need something better than chainmail to protect him. He needed to be invincible.

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Embedded in the burnt earth, Inquisition watched as hundreds of its slaves spread themselves across the land, attacking travelers as they go. Hundreds more still poured out from him, stumbling and moaning as they obeyed the creatures' silent command. The beast had seen the small organic fight its way across the bridge, but thought nothing of it.

_**Its fight is irrelevant**_, the metal squid thought. _**In the end, the organic shall be purged like the rest.**_

Inquisition noticed the creature emerging from underneath the giant remains of a tree, but in different clothing. Instead of simple green cloth, the organic was dressed in a red cloth with dull metal pieces on its chest, shoulders, hands, and feet. It walked as if the armor weighed it down, slowly moving one foot in front of the other. The beast watched as some of its slaves charged at the organic, who stood still for only a moment before putting on a small dull metal headpiece.

In an instant, the dull armor turned to a bright gold, and the organic attacked as if the armor was light as a feather.

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Link charged toward the massive squid, undaunted by the beast's size or the number of husks coming towards him. He slashed and bashed any in his path, with no intent on slowing down. A few of the large husks fired at him, but he simply dodged their attacks and kept going. He had only one true target in mind: the beast towering over him.

One of the large husks stood in his path. Disregarding the projectiles coming toward him, he rushed straight towards them, and rolled underneath it as the monster made a swipe at him. He then slashed the creature's legs, causing it to fall face first into the ground. After a quick glance to make sure it wouldn't get back up, he continued on his course, using a spin attack to clear out the small wall of husks in front of him.

He had made good progress towards the giant demon when he heard an inhuman screech. Glancing around for the source of the noise, he saw a floating crab like thing gliding towards him. It opened its "mouth" (the head merely pulling against four thick tendons attached to the rest of its body), revealing dozens of husk heads whose unblinking eyes were still glowing. Slightly disgusted, Link pulled out his bow and arrows, notching yet another explosive arrow.

The four eyes on the beast's head glowed brightly before unleashing a pale blue beam on Link. The force of the beam pushed the warrior to the ground, but the armor absorbed any physical damage. Link quickly got up and fired a couple of arrows at the glowing eyes. However, the explosions seem to hit a purple barrier surrounding the crab monster. Frustrated, he put the bow away, formulating another plan of attack as he dodged another beam.

Seeing the limp cords hanging on the monster's belly, an idea sprung in Link's mind. He ran at the creature, pulling out his claw shot as he did so. When he was close enough, he fired the claw shot, which attached itself to the cords. Link shot up into the air, ending up right underneath the flying monstrosity. The creature screeched and tried to shake him off, but Link kept his grip on his tool. Concentrating, he tapped his feet together, summoning boots of dense iron to his feet. The sudden change in weight bought the crab down a few feet before it regained its balance. Link then removed his headpiece, and immediately the lightweight gold armor became dull and heavy.

The crab beast fell to the ground, unable to hold the massive weight underneath it. As it fell, Link released his claw shot and rolled to the ground. After quickly removing the boots and putting back on the headpiece, he attacked the downed creature, jumping on its head and stabbing any weak spot in its armor. The monster screeched as it reared back, intent on throwing off its unwanted rider. Link lost his footing, but stabbed his sword into the mass of heads inside the crab. It screeched again, taking to the skies to fling off the warrior hanging on its side.

Link held on even as the beast swung itself around. After a few minutes of constant rolls and sharp turns, the beast seemed to tire only slightly. Keeping a firm grip on his sword, he rummaged through his pack, bringing out a dark red bomb. He briefly remembered how proud Barnes was of his new creation, saying that it was "guaranteed to blow yer socks right off…along with everythin' else." Focusing back on the current situation, Link quickly bit the metallic cover off the fuse, lighting it as he did. He then shoved the bomb into the creature's husk filled maw, pulled his sword free, and jumped.

Link rolled as he hit the ground, slightly injuring his shoulder as it hit the ground. Ignoring the slight pain, he looked up to see the crab creature explode, half its body blown out by the bomb as the rest disintegrated. Satisfied, Link turned back to the metal behemoth, only to feel his armor drastically weigh him down…and an agonizing pain erupt from his chest. Shocked, Link slowly looked down seeing a bloodied grey claw sticking out of his tunic.

No….

Suddenly, he was thrown across the field, his body limp like a ragdoll. Landing on his back, Link's head was turned toward his attacker, which turned out to be another crab beast that had snuck up on him while he had been distracted.

Not now…

With a screech, the crab creature took to the skies, leaving Link with the sight of the gigantic squid as it prepared to take off.

He couldn't…die…..

His vision began to blur, and then darken as the demon freed itself from the ground, heading towards the sky.

He…had to…

…protect…

…

**A/N: It's not over yet! Link's down, but he's not out!Don't forget to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: Whew! This chapter was a challenge. I had writer's block throughout the whole thing. Fortunately, I finished it. This is the last chapter of my extended prologue. I hope you like it.**

**I do not own Mass Effect or Legend of Zelda.**

Chapter 4: Death is Only the Beginning

The colossal beast rose to the sky, watching the hundreds of mindless servants wreak havoc on organic settlements. Blue aquatic creatures attempted to hold back the hordes, only to be torn apart by sheer numbers and the firepower of the larger slaves. The survivors tried to escape through the water, but were electrocuted as a few small slaves jumped in and released an electric pulse. On the other side of the field, strange orange figures rolled through the clusters of minor servants, but fell against the projectiles released by both the larger servants and one of the few flying beasts the behemoth had released.

The massive squid felt nothing for his slaves' progress.

_**We have destroyed anomalous civilizations far more times than organics can fathom**_, the monster thought as it went beyond the clouds. _**There is no failure; there is only the Purge. All resistance is irrelevant.**_

With that, it travelled beyond the sky, heading for the stars. It never looked back.

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With a jolt, Link opened his eyes. Rather than the orange skies of Hyrule, he saw black. He looked all around him, seeing nothing but black. He raised a hand to his face, the sight of which slightly relieved him; his hand was clear as day, meaning he wasn't surrounded by darkness, just nothing. Link continued to look around, wondering how he had gotten here…

Castle Town nothing but fire and smoke, hordes of grey and blue husks, hanging on to a flying creature, PAIN!

He clutched his head, memories rushing through his mind, which scrambled for order. Once everything straightened out, Link came to a crushing realization: he was dead. Hyrule had fallen, and he was dead. He had failed.

The green clad warrior sunk to all fours on the invisible ground, despair and guilt eating at his heart. He failed them. He failed to protect Ordon Village. He failed to protect Renado and the Goron tribe. He failed the Zora tribe. He even failed…

…Ilia…

Tears rolled down Link's face as he remembered the blond haired woman, her emerald eyes full of fear and desperation as she begged him to be careful. He had reassured her, and made a silent promise to come home safely...and he broke that promise.

He had been a fool, trying to take on the gigantic metal demon all by himself. In his quest to end the Twilight Invasion he always had help, whether it was from the Adventurer's Guild or from his impish friend Midna. Even in the fight with Ganondorf he had help. The current crisis had been no different, so what could possibly make him think he could take on hordes of husks and a monstrous creature all by himself?

His distraught mind scrambled to make sense of his reckless actions….He had only been trying to save as many as he could…he didn't want anyone to share the same fate as Princess Zelda and all of Castle Town…he just wanted to protect everyone…

"It wasn't foolish," A familiar voice said. Link jumped and looked around, searching for the source of the voice. When he looked behind him, he saw a young woman dressed in a regal purple and white dress, an elegant tiara resting across her forehead. Her arms were covered by long white gloves, and her shoulders were protected by small decorated gold plates. She was Princess Zelda, the ruler of Hyrule.

"While it is true that rushing towards an overwhelming force was not the smartest idea," she admitted. "You had good intentions behind it. You knew that if you had gone back to Ordon, Kakariko Village and Zora's Domain would have been destroyed. You did what you thought would protect everyone, even if it meant facing the enemy alone."

Link lowered his head sighed, seeing the truth behind the princess's words. He had wanted to save everyone, not just Ordon Village. He couldn't bear making a decision that would ultimately result in sacrificing others; but now, thanks to his actions, everyone was doomed.

He felt a hand rest on his shoulders. Link raised his head to see Zelda give him a sympathetic look.

"I know how you feel," she said. "When I surrendered the kingdom to Zant, I also felt guilt toward my decision, knowing full well that my people would suffer. It was a tough decision, choosing either slavery or death for Hyrule, but it was one that I had to make. In the end, I chose the former because of the hope that one day someone would fight back the cursed Twili.

"Fortunately, someone did," Zelda smiled slightly. Link returned the smile, acknowledging the unspoken gratitude. His face fell again as he remembered his predicament. There was no hope for the outcome of his choice; he had been the only thing that stood between the people of Hyrule and the demon from the sky, and he had lost.

Zelda lightly shook him, bringing his attention back to her.

"Do not lose yourself in your guilt, for there may still be hope," She told him.

Link was stunned, disbelief in his eyes. How could there be hope for a situation like this? What could she possibly do that could change this predicament?

"It is not much, and it may not even save Hyrule" She sadly admitted. "However, it can give you one last chance to defeat the colossal creature responsible for all of this."

Defeat the creature, but not save Hyrule? Then what is the point of it (whatever **it** is)? What good would it be to destroy the metal squid if the damage had already been done?

"I know it sounds confusing to you, Link," the princess said. "But listen to me. That beast came from the stars beyond, which means that among those stars are other lands where life exists. Life that is just as vulnerable to this monster as we are. If we cannot save ourselves, then the least we can do is spare other worlds the pain and suffering that demon has caused us."

Link pondered about it for a moment. Though it sounded far-fetched, there can be no denying the fact that the massive metal thing was not of this known realm, nor of any nearby kingdoms. Plus, it had seemed to come directly from the sky. If that thing could exist out amongst the stars, then there's no telling what else could be out there. If life did exist out there, then the princess was right. He could hardly bear losing all his friends and loved ones, so the thought that someone else could experience such loss was horrid.

Link's once tear-ridden eyes quickly became hard. He would not let the metallic behemoth take one more victim. He would not let others feel his pain. The gigantic squid's reign of terror ends now. Hyrule may fall, but at least it will do so fighting!

Zelda smiled as she saw the fiery determination appear in the hero's eyes. She already knew the answer, but she asked anyway.

"Are you willing to stand up against our newfound enemy one last time?"

Link nodded without hesitation. Zelda then bowed her head and clasped her hands, whispering a prayer. After a few moments, four balls of light appeared, surrounding the princess. The lights then moved to surround the green-clad warrior. Link watched as the balls glowed brighter and brighter, until he was enveloped in the gold light.

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In the middle of a field, a corpse's once empty eyes burned with new life, while the marking on its right hand glowed its brightest. A gold aura outlined the body as it twitched and slowly raised itself up. It picked up a blue hilted sword that had fallen nearby, the blade glowing the moment the glowing figure touched it. The figure then stood up on its own two feet, its armor a bright gold and the sword resting in his right hand.

Link, the hero of Hyrule and the savior of the Twilight Realm, had returned from the grave for one last fight.

Link grunted as he felt the power pulse inside him, begging for release. He clenched the hilt of the sword, whose blade glowed brighter as the energy shifted towards it. He looked up into the darkening sky, just barely able to see the departing form of the demon that had destroyed Hyrule.

With solid resolution, the hero twisted his sword arm behind him as he concentrated all his energy into the sword. The sword glowed brighter and brighter as the hero kept his eyes on his enemy, watching it try to fade into the night sky. Then, as the sword shined its brightest, the hero swung his sword straight up into the air, his free hand clasping the hilt as the pent up fire inside the sword was released in one powerful beam of light.

The beam soared through the night sky as it came upon its target. When it struck, it pierced right through the beast's invisible shields and tore right through the creature's metal hide.

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_**Impossible….**_

The colossal squid writhed as it tried to save itself from the unexpected attack. Whatever it was that hit it had torn right through the creature. Power was rerouted, damaged parts were disconnected. It racked its omniscient mind for a solution, but every idea only delayed the inevitable: it was dying.

_**I have obliterated armadas…**_

It began to drift in space, unable to steer itself anymore.

_**Ripped through every defense…**_

The blue lights crisscrossing its hide flickered and died one by one.

_**And withstood against the organics' most powerful weapons…**_

The yellow lights of its eyes began to dim, as the squid began to drift towards a red planet.

_**So how could inferior organics manage to wound me?**_

…_**How….**_

…

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Above a green and blue planet, gigantic metal figures flew back to the stars from which they came. Below them, fires burned were civilizations once existed. The creatures didn't bother with hunting for survivors; their slaves would take care of that. Though they suffered one casualty, the Purge had been successful, just like it had in the past. Soon the organics would be extinct, and all that would remain of their existence would be piles of rubble…

…and a statue of a warrior with his sword raised above his head, a triangular mark glowing dimly on its right hand.

**A/N: Goodbye, Hyrule. Hello, Derelict Reaper! **

**Just like the title implies, Link's fight with the Reapers isn't over yet!**

**Review if you guys want me to continue on to the main story, where Commander Shepard and Link finally team up!**


	5. Author's note

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone! Sorry it took so long! At first I was waiting to see if I would get anymore reviews and hits. After a couple of weeks of little change in my story's stats, I thought "Aw, what the heck! Just do the darn story!" I recently got a new computer, so I was psyched to use it. However, just as I was starting, I had to go back to college. After settling back in, I realized that my notes concerning the story never really made it to my new laptop. That was frustrating. **

**Anyway, I just want to let you all know that I will be writing the story (for those who have taken an interest in it), and that it will be published in the Mass Effect section of this site. Also, since I am starting my second year of college, the posting of chapters may be a little sporadic. A little intro to the story will be written soon. **

**Thank you to those of you who have taken an interest in my story. I know I'm not the best writer, but the fact that there are people reading does help motivate me to continue. If you guys have any tips on how I can improve my writing, please let me know.**


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